Cinemas & Home Entertainment this week…

19 June 2018

GRIM PICKINGS this week includes key dates to dismember with a giant dose of prehysteria from visionary filmmaker J.A. Bayona in cinemas while home entertainment gives a treasured game franchise an overdue overhaul.

IN CINEMAS

Thursday June 21stJURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOMFourteen years after the somewhat abysmal JURASSIC PARK 3, JURASSIC WORLD released and quickly went on to become one of the highest grossing films of all-time. Thankfully the wait between sequels this time around has been much shorter and with Jeff Goldblum returning to the franchise under the direction of visionary J.A. Bayona (A MONSTER CALLS), we’re optimistic that this may be a worthy addition to the series. It’s been three years since theme park and luxury resort Jurassic World was destroyed by dinosaurs out of containment. Isla Nublar now sits abandoned by humans while the surviving dinosaurs fend for themselves in the jungles. When the island’s dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen (Chis Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event. Owen is driven to find Blue, his lead raptor who’s still missing in the wild, and Claire has grown a respect for these creatures she now makes her mission. Arriving on the unstable island as lava begins raining down, their expedition uncovers a conspiracy that could return our entire planet to a perilous order not seen since prehistoric times. With all of the wonder, adventure and thrills synonymous with one of the most popular and successful series in cinema history, this all-new motion-picture event sees the return of favourite characters and dinosaurs—along with new breeds more awe-inspiring and terrifying than ever before.

BROTHERS’ NESTThe brothers Jacobson, the busiest duo both on-screen and behind the scenes of the Australian film industry return with Clayton’s first directed feature since 2006’s KENNY. On a cold winter’s morning in the middle of country Victoria, two brothers arrive at the family home with treacherous intent. Terry and Jeff’s motive is to make sure their dying mother’s plan to change her will in favour of her husband – their stepfather – is upturned. It is all meticulously planned, but there is one crucial thing the boys didn’t take into account – spending an entire day together. Old grudges, different world views and a general troubled history will pit these two brothers against each other.

IDEAL HOMETwo titans of comedy, Steve Coogan and Paul Rudd come together for this heartfelt dramedy helmed by Andrew Fleming (EASY A, BAD DREAMS). Celebrity chef Erasmus (Coogan) and his partner Paul (Rudd) have a happy and rather self-indulgent life together. Their perfect existence is turned upside down when, at a dinner party, Erasmus is surprised by the grandson he never knew he had. With the child’s father in prison it seems he has nowhere else to go and so, after much debate they decide to take him in. With changes and challenges on both sides, this could prove a recipe for disaster. Filled with heart and humour, this new family looks set to serve up one of the most deliciously funny films of the year.

HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Wednesday June 20thSLUMBER (DVD Only)With an aggregated score of 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, we’ll wait for a rainy Sunday afternoon Netflix session. Alice is a rational-minded sleep doctor, haunted by the mysterious nocturnal death of her younger brother. During a routine examination on a traumatized family with sleeping problems, Alice is forced to abandon scientific rationale and accept that the family is being terrorised by a parasitic demon who feeds on the weak while they sleep. In order to defeat the dark spirit Alice must journey into her own nightmares and confront her childhood demons.TOMB RAIDERIt took two decades and three films but we’ve finally got a TOMB RAIDER film almost worthy of the gaming franchise. Alicia Vikander takes the reigns as Lara Croft this time around in the first English language feature from Norwegian filmmaker, Roar Uthaug (THE WAVE). Lara Croft (Vikander) is the fiercely independent daughter of an eccentric adventurer who vanished years earlier. Hoping to solve the mystery of her father’s disappearance, Croft embarks on a perilous journey to his last-known destination – a fabled tomb on a mythical island that might be somewhere off the coast of Japan. The stakes couldn’t be higher as Lara must rely on her sharp mind, blind faith and stubborn spirit to venture into the unknown. Blu-ray & 4K Ultra-HD releases include four production featurettes and a five-star Dolby Atmos audio track!
Grim Pickings is written weekly by Jarret Gahan.